GamesMaster

Here is

Brilliant TV of GamesMaster as They dont make them on TV Anymore :(
http://www.gamesmasterlive.co.uk/gamesmaster/gamesmaster.php

Those were the days. It's a shame that in these days of having hundreds of TV channels, you'd think there'd be at least one devoted 100% to the most profitable entertainment industry.

Bravo don't do too bad with gamesplayer, but there really should be a full time channel, it could even have shows dedicated to games development.

I remember that sucker.

I think the first was the BBC's Micro Live:
http://uk.youtube.com/results?search_query=%22micro+live%22&search_type=&aq=f

There is and has been channels devoted to gaming, although they never seem to last long - perhaps gamers are just too busy playing to watch them?

Bravo has had several good programmes over the years, but they all die before their third series. They are now showing a programme called Playr and Playr2 (or something like that).

Where's Violet Berlin when you need her?

There are several problems with TV covering computer games in the Western world. In the East in places like Korea computer gaming is mainstream television with prime time shows surrounding big tournaments and big boss kills in MMO and the like. In the West TV has never really grasped gaming and approached it from the right angle.

I watched a simulated motor race on UK TV earlier this year, using Forza. The show was clearly sponsored by Microsoft who wanted it aired to promote their XBox console. The race was aweful, and covered in a 'gamer' style whilst the commentary tried to take it seriously - but what I watched was a wreck fest of drivers trying to crash each other out.

Meenwhile I had been trying to get my own show aired, also a sim racing show but where the style of the coverage was based upon mimmick the coverage of a real world motor race. Rather than precenting it as a gamer 'geek' thing, I promoted the drivers - took it seriously, and stylised the show the same way a real motor race would be covered. At least, as best as I could with no budget.

Budget is the key word though, I had the OK from 3 countries but no commission, i'd have to fund it myself. Whilst there was potential for revenue generation once the show was established on TV by sponsoring the cars in my virtual race, the bare facts where I couldn't get the shows production values high enough for TV with no money, and having not enough time myself around the day job - I didnt have the money behind me to dedicate myself full time to the task.

Shows have to be self financing on telly these days, and the upshot of that is unless you've got a phone in vote or your show has been created for the purpose of promoting something corporately backed (like the XBox example) then you're not going anywhere then the only way you are getting your show on telly is if it's a BBC drama.

Audiences are also tiny these days, outside of the big 4 channels in the UK the total audience size amongst all the other channels at peak is just 30,000 viewers. That's tiny, at my shows peak I got 120,000 viewers just putting my shows out on the web for download.

TV is a lot of money for little return, it's only purpose now is to fleece advertisers of money.

It's for that reason I no longer even have a TV in my home.

When Gamesmaster was on TV, it was presented (mainly) by Dominik Diamond and Dave Perry ( not the one from Shiny ) but if it was on TV today, it would be presented by Kate Thornton and Brian from Big Brother. That's why we don't have many gaming programs/channels these days.

On Virgin1 reviewing the latest games (from last-gen!).

I met Dominik Diamond at an awards do. Afterwards, he got very drunk, as indeed did I. :P

Useless fact: I was once offered an audition for a job presenting on some games channel on Sky - I forget the name of it. But it meant moving to Italy so I didn't really fancy it.

Anyhoo, it's got to be said that Gamesmaster was mostly crap. Whoever cast Patrick Moore as The Gamesmaster needs to be put against a wall and shot. I'm personally happy to never again here any video game branded as an "interesting little jaunt". I'm equally glad to see the back of spotty 11 year olds with square eyes going "Hello Gamesmaster. My Dad's locked me out of Sky Porn - how do I find out his PIN code?".

Here in the US we had G4TV for a couple years, it still exists but it only shows a half hour to an hour of Game related programing a day most of the time. (and that hour is too juvenile for me to watch).

Man, brings back some memories.